tidy

adjective ti·dy \ ˈtī-dē \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Examples: tidy in a Sentence

Definition of tidy

tidier; tidiest

1 a : neat and orderly in appearance or habits : well ordered and cared for

b : methodical, precise

a tidy mind

2 : large, substantial

a tidy profit

3 : adequately satisfactory : acceptable, fair

a tidy solution to their problem

4 : properly filled out : plump

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tidily

play \ˈtī-də-lē\ adverb

—

tidiness

play \ˈtī-dē-nəs\ noun

See tidy defined for English-language learners

See tidy defined for kids

Examples of tidy in a Sentence

He has always been a tidy person.
She earns a tidy salary.
They paid a tidy sum for the house.

Recent Examples of tidy from the Web

The body styling has some compact cuteness that wraps around an upright format as tidy and functional as an American Tourister roller bag — ready to travel with a hard shell that feels secure and refined.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Kia Niro PHEV: The future of plug-and-play," 13 July 2018
According to previous studies, hedgehogs are suffering because people in urban and suburban areas keep their lawns and gardens too tidy—the animals need overgrown bushes, leaf litter and other habitat to survive.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "The UK’s Hedgehogs (and Other Mammals) Are In Danger," 16 June 2018
My young adult life has been punctuated by a number of different roommates—all of whom were varying degrees of considerate, tidy, and pleasant to be around.

— lindsey lanquist, SELF, "16 Ways Type A People Keep Their Homes (Practically) Spotless," 16 May 2018
When the city renumbered and renamed streets in the 1930s to create somewhat-tidy quadrants, 705 Davis St. became 2141 NW Davis St.

— janet eastman, OregonLive.com, "On the market: Over-the-top, luxury condos (photos)," 12 May 2018
Make sure the home is neat and tidy, but don’t empty it completely: furnishings and basic decor enable buyers to visualize how the space can be used.

— carpenter realtors, Indianapolis Star, "Selling your home? This is your ultimate to-do list," 7 May 2018
That period has been marked for the most part by tidy, low-drama governance and an economic boom that has left tax coffers overflowing.

— peter jamison, Washington Post, "Anti-Semitism controversy exposes D.C.’s fault lines — and a leadership vacuum," 6 May 2018
Arriving at the art studio, the daughter, 36, looked like an office worker or retail supervisor, well-groomed and tidy, but pale and wide-eyed with the drugs in her system.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Learning about an addict’s life in a wintry vacant lot, and her mother’s unwavering love," 25 Jan. 2018
While the remnants of this former crop look neat and tidy, marijuana grown on public land is quickly poisoning the environment, wildlife and water.

— johnny magdaleno, Newsweek, "Mexican Drug Cartels May Use Legal Marijuana to Increase Their Presence in Northern California," 10 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tidy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tidy

Middle English, timely, in good condition, from tide time

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 4

See Words from the same year

tidy Synonyms

tidy

verb

Definition of tidy

tidied; tidying

transitive verb

: to put in order

tidy up a room

intransitive verb

: to make things tidy

tidying up after supper

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tidier

noun

See tidy defined for English-language learners

Examples of tidy in a Sentence

I tidied the house before they arrived.

Recent Examples of tidy from the Web

In every World Cup city, there were signs that the local government had made an effort to tidy up.

— ivan nechepurenko, New York Times, "Peeking Around Corners in the World Cup’s Provincial Cities," 14 July 2018
They were spotted tidying up the stadiums after their matches.

— Fox News, "Gutfeld: Trump is succeeding and it's the media's nightmare," 24 June 2018
Wash the dishes; tidy up after playtime; be extra creative and fun - habits from my own babysitting days, gleaned from a family expectation of strong work ethic.

— chicagotribune.com, "Teens face a gender pay gap, too. Here's how to help them navigate it.," 13 June 2018
Maybe modern masculinity really is fragile enough that men can’t tidy up without pretending to symbolically slay the great mother dragon, embodiment of chaos, in an epic battle for order.

— laurie penny, Longreads, "Peterson’s Complaint," 12 July 2018
Japanese fans also did their part, continuing their tradition of tidying up the stands following games.

— stephanie petit, PEOPLE.com, "Team Japan Leaves Locker Room Spotless and Pens Thank You Note After Crushing World Cup Loss," 3 July 2018
Freddie yelled over to Dean Dise, who was tidying up his own boat in the next slip.

— earl swift, Outside Online, "The Incredible True Story of the Henrietta C.," 20 June 2018
Under $250: A robot vacuum that can mop too A good robot vacuum helps keep your floors tidy in between deep cleanings, and this one from iLife goes a step further by mopping too!

— samantha gordon, USA TODAY, "Here are Amazon's 5 best deals right now," 7 June 2018
Jamie Spicer was working behind the bar, taking care of customers at the cash register, and nimbly tidying up as people left.

— marilyn hagerty, Bon Appetit, "Marilyn Hagerty, of Viral Olive Garden Restaurant Review Fame, Reviews the Broken Drum in North Dakota," 6 June 2018

First Known Use of tidy

1821

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

tidy

noun

Definition of tidy

plural tidies

1 : a usually compartmentalized receptacle for various small objects

2 : a piece of fancywork used to protect the back, arms, or headrest of a chair or sofa from wear or soil

See tidy defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of tidy from the Web

The appeal of my WeWork space is fairly obvious: Someone else maintains the free coffee, waters the plants, and tidies up the sun dappled work spaces.

— aaron pressman, Fortune, "Data Sheet—Why WeWork Has to Pay Up for Rapid Growth," 25 Apr. 2018
The most popular affordable robot vacuum A good robot vacuum can help you keep your home tidy between deep cleanings, and the Eufy RoboVac 11+ is the #1 best-selling robot vacuum on Amazon right now.

— samantha gordon, USA TODAY, "These are the 5 best Amazon deals for the first day of spring," 20 Mar. 2018
The truth escapes them that within a month, their designer efforts will be covered in old pizza boxes and dirty clothes exactly like the other rooms -- until mom shows up a day early for homecoming and tidies things up a bit.

— beth thames, AL.com, "Oprah for president? She's served her country already," 10 Jan. 2018
YOUR PROPERTY TIDY Have the lawn mowed, the plants watered and the pool cleaned.

— ronda kaysen, New York Times, "How to Protect Your House When You’re on Vacation," 14 July 2017
Buy Photo Erica Tunnell’s tidy row home in the Overbrook section of the city was swarmed Saturday by environmental activists, students and public health experts.

— chris mondics, Philly.com, "Activists, community groups test for lead," 24 June 2017

First Known Use of tidy

circa 1828

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

TIDY Defined for English Language Learners

tidy

adjective

Definition of tidy for English Language Learners

: clean and organized : not messy
: keeping things clean and organized
of an amount of money : fairly large

tidy

verb

Definition of tidy for English Language Learners

: to make (something) tidy : to make (something) clean and organized

tidy

noun

Definition of tidy for English Language Learners

: a container for storing small items

TIDY Defined for Kids

tidy

adjective ti·dy \ ˈtī-dē \

Definition of tidy for Students

tidier; tidiest

1 : well ordered and cared for : neat

2 : large, substantial

a tidy sum

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tidiness

noun

History for tidy

The English word tidy comes from the word tide. Tide first meant “time,” and tidy first meant “timely, at the proper time.” Soon tidy came to mean “in good condition.” The current meaning “neat” developed from this sense.